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Friday, June 17, 2011

Home learning rant

I hate with all amount of gusto when parents say that they are learning more now than they did in school because they are homeschooling their kids. OK, I hear you, some people didn't do well in school, didn't retain it, didn't get taught it in the first place... I don't know. But I do remember all this stuff and I just can't get excited about it again.

Is it because we are doing Ancient History and I did that in high school? Is it because the level of science I am teaching my kids is so boring compared to the physics and chemistry I was doing in high school? Do I need to just move on to the Medieval times and get over it? Just do a different branch of science or something?

Does anyone else feel like they are in some homeschooling version of Ground Hog Day, forever destined to be teaching Ancient Times and basic Arithmetic while nagging boys about their handwriting?

4 comments:

Oh! I think I am the annoying parent! Maybe it's because I am teacher, and I'm used to the groundhog day syndrome - every year you teach the same stuff. Maybe it's because I've only been homeschooling for a bit. Or maybe it's because with my kids (as opposed to the kids at school) we can go a bit deeper, have more interesting conversations, go faster and further than we would if we were in a classroom. School "sux", but homeschooling rulez OK!

So Ingi, how did you keep yourself from going bonkers on those days when it all seemed to be the same? I have all sorts of respect for teachers. At least I will get off this particular ride once my youngest is learning independently. And my eldest will write neatly some day I am guessing.

It is just like those "endless" nappy days and night feeds. It feels like forever when you are still in the middle of it. This season will pass too.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Your comments were encouraging. I know what you mean about school. You will have seasons of good times and bad, exciting and boring. Hang in there. Enjoy your summer-- or is it winter over there?

I am a mum of 4 young men who challenge me in many ways as I homeschool them and try to keep my home happy.
I like the principles of a literature based education with a whole lot of real life thrown in and believe in individualising my methods and even curriculum for each child as needed.
I try to remember that the blogging lens can be very good at showing only rainbows and not the mud that naturally comes with the rain. Here you will read about the real days of homeschooling too.

Great Quotes

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. - Plato

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. - Aristotle